DC's rooftop solar rule for major re-roofing runs out this month
DC's rooftop solar rule for major re-roofing runs out this month
2026-09-09 · District of Columbia · Compliance
A District of Columbia condominium doing a substantial rehabilitation that includes replacing or repairing half its roof can be pulled into a rooftop solar requirement — and its own pool deck, roof terrace and mechanical penthouse are among the ways out. The rule sits in the Green Housing Coordination Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, effective February 12, 2026, which expires 225 days after taking effect — late September 2026.1
Boards planning roof work should treat the date as a live variable and confirm what is in force at the moment of permit application.
What it requires
The Act rewrites D.C. Code § 6-1451.02(a)(3)(C). In new construction or substantial rehabilitation where a roof replacement or repair of 50 percent or more of the roof area is within the scope of the project, the developer must incorporate rooftop renewable energy systems on-site wherever feasible.
The exceptions are what make it workable for an existing residential building:
- Inadequate solar access.
- Mechanical equipment, HVAC systems, or other essential rooftop infrastructure.
- Rooftop amenities such as pools, decks, or recreational areas.
- Structural constraints, shading or design limitations preventing generation.
- Other conditions identified by the Department of Buildings or the Department of Energy and Environment rendering installation impracticable.
The same Act adds net-zero and all-electric conditions to Housing Production Trust Fund new-construction awards, and removes residential and mixed-use projects from the Greener Government Buildings net-zero regime.
Why the permanent text does not help you
The codified § 6-1451.02(a)(3)(C) reads “Repealed.” The requirement has existed only on the District's temporary and emergency track, carried by a chain of instruments including emergency acts in November 2025, March 2026 and July 2026, and a further temporary act in May 2026.
That is the practical warning. A board that reads the permanent Code and concludes there is no rooftop solar requirement has read a subsection that says “Repealed” while a temporary act supplies the operative rule.
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